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Older people blighted by pessimism and fear for the future are more likely to live longer, accordingto scientists.

A study, into 40,000 adults across ten years, has found those with low expectations for a “satisfyingfuture” actually led healthier lives.

In contrast, people who were “overly optimistic” about the days ahead had a greater risk of disabilityor death within ten years.

The extraordinary research, published by the American Psychological Association, will not doubtprove comfort to anyone with a tendency to grumpiness.

Frieder R. Lang, lead author of the study from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany,said: “Our findings revealed that being overly optimistic in predicting a better future was associatedwith a greater risk of disability and death within the following decade.

"Pessimism about the future may encourage people to live more carefully, taking health and safetyprecautions."

The research, based on data collected between 1993 and 2003, asked 40,000 respondents to rate howsatisfied they believed they would be in five years time.

They were interviewed again five years later, and their satisfaction levels compared with their ownpredictions.

Those who overestimated how happy they would be were found to have a 9.5 per cent increase inreporting disabilities, and a ten per cent high risk of death.

Older people, who tended to have a “darker outlook” on the future, were shown to be the mostaccurate in their predictions, with optimistic youngsters overestimating their success.

"Unexpectedly, we also found that stable and good health and income were associated with expecting agreater decline compared with those in poor health or with low incomes," said Dr Lang.

"Moreover, we found that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability."We argue, though, that the outcomes of optimistic, accurate or pessimistic forecasts may depend onage and available resources.

"These findings shed new light on how our perspectives can either help or hinder us in taking actionsthat can help improve our chances of a long healthy life."

Of those interviewed, 43 percent of the oldest group were found to have underestimated their futurelife satisfaction, 25 percent had predicted accurately and 32 percent had overestimated, according tothe study

Research published last year by the Office for National Statistics found most people are now livingsix years longer than current life expectancy projections, with no sign of an upper age limit.

Previous studies have suggested that “unrealistic optimism” about the future can help people feelbetter while facing inevitable negative outcomes, such as terminal disease.

Another, published in 2009, noted that a positive outlook depended largely on where one lives, withthose in London being the grumpiest and those in the countryside being the most relaxed

You have to wonder if part of it has to do with being more accepting toward death. An optimist who thinks the world is improving probably would think it would go on fine without them. Someone who feels that the world's heading in the wrong direction might feel that they're part of a shrinking minority of people who still espouse old-world values, so despite their fear of the future they might try to do whatever they could to extend their time on earth..

That, or it's a random correlation. But I can't help but feel that the issue is more one of choice than of psychological effects on health.